Amalgamating and concentrating machine



Oct. 20,1925. 1,557,877

J. H. RAE

AMALGAMATING AND CONCENTRATING MACHINE Filed June 1924 In z/e n tor.

flttomeys.

Patented Oct. 20, 1925.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JULIO H. RAE, OF DAYTON, NEVADA, ASSIGNOR O'F ONE-THIRD TO JULIO 'H.RAE, JR.,

AND ONE-THIRD T0 LOUISA M. RAE, BOTH GF DAYTON, NEVADA. V

AMALGAMATING AND CONCENTRATING MACHINE. 7

Application filed June 30, 1924. Serial No. 723,092.

To all whom it may concerm Be it known that I, J ULIO H. RAE, a citizenof the United States, residing at Dayton, county of Lyon, and State ofNevada, have'inventednew and useful Improvements in rhnalgamating andConcentrating Machines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relatesto an amalgamating and concentrating machine, andparticularly to a machine which is adapted for separating fine metalparticles from black sand and the like.

In mining districts where placer deposits containing line or flour gold,platinum and other precious metals are encountered, and

particularly where the percious metals are mixedwith so'called blacksands, experience has shown that it is practically impossible to savethe fine values. Sluice boxes, concentrating tables, belts, matting andso on have been employed, and numerous forms of 'riflies and otherretaining devices have been used but all to no avail, as the black sandsettles and packs to such an extent, that the flour or fine values donot have an opportunity to lodge and as such are carried away witli thesluice or wash water.

The object of the present invention is to provide a machine which isparticularly adapted for handling material of this character, and inwhich the fine values are caught or retained, first, by amalgamatingaction and, secondly, by concentration; this being accomplished, first,by passing thematerial over a bed or surface of quicksilver which ismaintained in a constant state of agitation; secondly, by preventingpacking of the black sand, thus permitting the values to settle andamalgamate, and, third, by subjecting the black sand to a concentratingaction which will separate such values as have escaped amalgamation, orwhich could not become amalgamated due to the fact that their surfaceswere too highly oxidized or perhaps included with other materials suchas sulphides, etc. a a

One form which my inventionmay assume I is exemplified in the following.description and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which F 1is a central vertical longitudinal section through the amalgamating andconcentrating machine.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same.

Referring to the drawings indetaihand I particularly to Fig. 1, Aindicates a sluice box to which the material is delivered after it hasbeen passed through a suitable form of screen, grizzly or other likedevice which will remove over-sized material, such as heavy gravel,boulders andthe like. The black sand and other material separated fromthe coarser gravel, boulders, .etc., together with a sufiicient amountof wash water, enter the sluice A and thenpass over a series of rollersgenerally indicated. at 2. These rollers are supported on shafts 3extending crosswise of an enlarged compartment B forming a continuationof the sluice box A. The shafts are suit-ably journalled in the sidewalls of the compartment and project thereth-rough.

The rollers may be constructed of castiron, steel or any other suitablematerial, and the spacing between the rollers is such that only theblack sand andfine materials may pass between the same. Thecoarservmaterial, together with a small proportion of the Washwater,,passes over the upper surface of the rollers, as the sluice box Aand the enlarged compartment B assume an inclined position, and thematerial is therefore not onlyadvanced by the wash water over the uppersurface of the rollers 2,'but it is also advanced mechanically dueto'the fact that the rollers 2 are rotated in unison and in the samedirection, as will hereinafter be described.

The upper rollers in reality form a roller form of conveyor or grizzlyand the valueless material is thus readily separated from the finermaterials and black sands which carry the metal values and it isdischarged on'an apron 4, which delivers the material to a dischargelaunder or sluice '5 from where it may be conveyed to any point desired.4.

Disposed below-the rollers 2 is a second series of rollers as indicatedat'6.; "These are also carried by shafts which project through the sidesofthe chamber'B, and these shafts, together with the rollers ;6 carriedthereby, are also drivenin unison and in the same direction as therollers2 aswill later be described. V

The bottom section of the chamber'is provided with two or more crosswisedisposed partition members such as shown at 7 and 8. These partitionmembers form damswhich are driven in unison with the same. cross-stripor dam 13, is placed below these rollers and a dam is thus formedforward retain the mercury generally indicated at 9. The rollers 6 arepartially submerged in the separate mercury beds or surfaces maintainedby the dams- 7 and 8 and, as the rollers are constantly rotating,sufficient agitation is maintained to prevent packing of the black sandand to. retain the quicksilver in a live condition, which decidedlypromotes amalgamat-ion.

The, finer sands, together with the black sand and the metal valuescarried thereby, pass through the spaces formed between the rollers" 2and a sufficient amount of wash water also'passes down through thesespaces. The water and sand thus delivered to the lower rollerspass-between the same on to the mercury beds maintained by the rollers 2and, as the sand is maintained in constant agitation by the rotation ofthe rollers, the heavier values will settle to the surface of thequicksilver beds and will here be amalgamated. The lighter sands will becarried forward by the motion of the wash water and also by thecontinuous rotation of the rollers which carry the sand from one rollerto another. The black sand and lighter sands will thus finely dischargeover the dams. or cross-members 7 and 8' and will thusbe deposited on anapron 11. Disposed 'above'this apron is a series of rollers such*asindicated at 12. These are mounted and 'j'ou-rnalled' crosswise ofthe machine in a manner similar to the rollers 52 and 6 and The of the.rollers 12, so that the black sand will have a tendency to accumulatebehind the :dam. The constant rotation of the rollers 12maintain-s theblack sand in such a state, of agitation that valuable metals which haveescaped amalgamation will here have an opportunity to becomeconcentrated or settle behind the dam 13, where the values,

together with'the major portion of the black sand? will dischargethrough a slot 16. The

waste materials and other sand will be constantly advanced by therollers 12 and by the action of the wash water, and as such "willfinally dischargeover the dam 13 into a discharge launder orsluice 14from where theymay-be conveyed to any point desired.

7 Experience has. shown that gold, in many instances, becomes, so highlyoxidized that 'it will not amalgamate. -Such gold will, therefore,escape the. amalgamating action "but willbe caught in this instance bythe concentrating action of the. rollers 12. Other valuesare sometimesincluded in other -meta-ls which are not subject to amalgamation, orthey may appear in the form of sulphides or the like and may thus becaught by concentrating action, and it is for this reason that'thelastset of rollers 12 is employed.

The present machine is not concerned with the retention of heavy values,for instance such as gold nuggets, heavy platinum particles and thelike, as, these may be caught by ordinary forms of riffles in the upperportion of the sluice box A. The machine is also concerned with theretention of the finer or fiour values and actual practice has shownthat the machine is exceedingly efiicient for this purpose. This is dueto the fact that the material to be treated is, first of all, passedthrough ordinary grizzlies, which remove the coarser gravel, bouldersand the like; secondly, because a secondary separating action isresorted to when the material is passed over the roller grizzly formedby the rollers 2;

third, that the finer values are permitted to settle between the roller6, due to the fact that the black sand cannot pack because'of theconstant agitation induced by the roller 6, and the finer values willthus settle between the rollers and as such will come in contact withthe mercury beds. These beds are maintained in a constant state ofagitation and the values thus become readily.

by providing a pair of line shafts which are driven in unison as hereillustrated, and by transmitting power from the line shafts by means ofbevel gears to the respective shafts. Other driving means may beemployed, but as one illustration will suflice, further illustration hasnot been attempted. I

While certain features of the present invention are more or lessspecifically illustrated, I wish it understood that various changes inform and proportion may be resorted towithin the scope of the appendedclaims. I similarly wish it understood that the materials and finish ofthe several parts employed maybe suchas the experience and judgment ofthe 'manufacturer may dictate orvarious uses may demand.

Having thus described my invention, what 1 I claim and desire to secureby Letters Patent is 7 1. A; device of the character describedcomprising a sluice box, said sluice having a compartment formed in thebottom thereof for the reception of mercury, a plurality ofrollers'journalled crosswise of the sluice and partially submerged inthe mercury, said rollers being interspaeed to permit them to functionas separating and conveying rollers, and means for rotating the rollers.

2. A device of the character described, comprising a sluice box, saidsluice having a compartment formed in the bottom thereof for thereception of mercury, a plurality of rollers journalled crosswise of thesluice and partially submerged in the mercury, and a second series ofrollers disposed above the first-named rollers, said second series ofrollers being interspaced to permit them to function as separating andconveying rollers.

3. A device of the character described, comprising a sluice box, saidsluice having a compartment formed in the bottom thereof for thereception of mercury, a plurality of rollers journalled crosswise of thesluice and partially submerged in the mercury, a second series ofrollers disposed above the first-named rollers, said second series ofrollers being interspaced to permit them to function as separating andconveying rollers, and means for rotating both sets of rollers.

4. A device of the character described, comprising a sluice box, saidsluice having a compartment formed in the bottom thereof for thereception of mercury, a plurality of rollers journalled crosswise of thesluice and partially submerged in the mercury, a second series ofrollers disposed above the first-named rollers; said second series ofrollers being interspaced to permit them to function as separating andconveying rollers, and means for rotating both sets 0 rollers and in thesame direction.

JULIO H. RAE.

